The Food and Drug Administration has added a new warning for an increased risk of death in patients with heart disease who have used clarithromycin (Biaxin), on the basis of results of a 10-year follow-up from the CLARICOR trial.
The CLARICOR trial followed 4,372 randomized patients for at least 2 years after undergoing 14 days of treatment with daily doses of 500 mg clarithromycin. Among these patients, researchers observed an unexpected increase in deaths in patients with coronary heart disease. (The Feb. 22 FDA statement announcing the alert did not provide data from CLARICOR.) As of yet, there is no clear explanation of how clarithromycin would lead to more deaths, compared with a placebo, the agency said.
While the CLARICOR trial displayed strong evidence, the results are mixed in observational trials with some finding an increased risk of death or heart problems while others did not. The inconsistencies between the findings in observational studies may be because of issues with study design.
Regardless, two of the six observational studies published found a link between clarithromycin use and long-term risks; four did not. The CLARICOR trial provides the strongest evidence of increased health risks, the statement said.
The FDA is recommending that health care professionals be aware of the risks associated with clarithromycin use and consider the benefits and risks of use in patients with heart disease. If at all possible, the use of other antibiotics may be a better option. Doctors should advise patients to be aware of signs and symptoms associated with cardiovascular issues.
Patients are also an important piece of the puzzle and should communicate with their health care providers about heart disease, particularly when taking antibiotics to treat for an infection.
The FDA has added the results of the CLARICOR trial to the clarithromycin drug labels. The agency will continue to monitor the safety reports in patients using clarithromycin.
Serious adverse events associated with clarithromycin should be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch program at 800-332-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch/ .
